Read All About It: Ninefox Gambit

Yoon Ha Lee’s stunning debut is space opera at its finest. Intense technology mixes with questionable ethics and a war on the horizon, all blending together to create a rich, war-torn tale. Ninefox Gambit follows disgraced captain Kel Cheris, who has been tapped for a unique assignment because of her own unconventional methods of war. In order to redeem herself in the eyes of the hexarchate, Cheris must retake the Fortress of Scattered Needles, which has fallen to heretical control and placed under the sway of a new calendar. If the heretics succeed, the hexarchate might fall as well.

Cheris is faced with her impossible task, connected to a source of knowledge outside in the form of an undead master tactician, Shuos Jedao, who was himself disgraced after he massacred his own army. Living with a genius inside her head, and faced with the most difficult task in her life, Cheris must decide who she can trust. Because if she chooses wrong, she’ll end up dead.

Lee’s worldbuilding is a force to be reckoned with. In a post-sexist and -homophobic world that you’re dropped right into, there are unique sciences, intriguing post-death options, and enough space ships to make anyone swoon.

The system of power that is the driving force behind the novel is a tad confusing to get used to. Everything is rigidly structured according to a specific calendar, which in turn can be used and manipulated to produce certain effects. The effects are somewhat vague, and there’s never a chance to get very familiar with them, but it works. The science-fiction elements of the power surface in unique ways, because this system of power is a sort of jumped-up physics that has a lot more flash and pizazz than our regular, run-of-the-mill physics. The spaceships are cool, AI is cooler, the interaction between soldiers tense and attention-grabbing.

Cheris is a lesbian who doesn’t feel the need to self-identify, because it’s just a fact about her. An accepted, well-written fact, that is natural and maybe even common.

The interactions between Cheris and her invisible shadow Jedao is amazingly well-written. As the only one who can actually interact with Jedao, Cheris is already separated from the rest of her world, and especially from the people she used to fight with. Jedao is a creepy mastermind, but the extent of his brilliance is hard to grasp from the tidbits he shares with Cheris, leaving both her and the readers in the dark. And when the plot threads start to tangle together towards the end, it’s hard to see a way out where Cheris will survive with her mind intact.

Lee’s novel reminded me of Ann Leckie’s Ancillary series. It’s somewhat difficult to get into at first, but once you’re past the first chapter, there’s no way this book will let you go without finishing the whole thing. I highly recommend this series to anyone who is also a fan of Leckie, because you’ll find a similar tone that makes it highly engaging.

If you’re a fan of space epics, wars across galaxies, and phantom presences with lots of advice, you’ll really enjoy Ninefox Gambit. Yoon Ha Lee has a stunner in the first novel in what promises to be a highly successful series. Until next time, keep an eye out for physics going a bit strange in your area, or highly intelligent men who promise you dark secrets about the empire. He just might be on your side—or is he?